


let this be your comfort

by Siriuschaos



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Beards (Relationships), Closeted Character, Complicated Relationships, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Secret Relationship, Singer Harry Styles, Singer Louis Tomlinson, stunts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:28:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28326105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siriuschaos/pseuds/Siriuschaos
Summary: Things have just begun for Louis. He's the opening act for Harry Styles and luck seems to be on his side when a label takes an interest in him. A interest that means everything to Lou. He's been aiming for a career in music since the day he realized that singing and writing songs were what made him feel complete. But he should have thought things through before signing that dotted line.Harry had told him...He warned Louis to read the fine print before putting pen to contract but Lou had been too struck by what was about to happen. Now look where it got him.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

Sweat dripped down the back of Louis' neck. A tacky, sticky sheen that made the short hairs at his hairline cling to his skin. The atmosphere seemed thick around him but he knew that it was all in his head. The ghost of nerves flicking just under his skin and reminding him that he was about to step out on stage for the third time in front of a crowd that he could hardly wrap his head around. A crowd that he never was able to actually get himself believe he would step in front of but had always dreamed of.

Eyes closed for a moment as he got the nod from the crew at the edge of the stage that he was about to go on. Louis took a few seconds to center himself. It had become a preshow cursor since he had started doing small open mics. Small shows where no one was interested in listening to what he was doing on stage. And maybe it hadn't changed so much as he opened his eyes and took the short strides onto stage, introducing himself to the arena of people spread out before him. This crowd wasn't here for him. Louis knew that. But there were was a low roar from the crowd that shook his bones. They weren't here for him, but Louis couldn't deny that people were paying attention. That he had eyes locked on him and listening to the songs that slipped form his lips as he let himself take control of the stage, confidence radiating from his pores. 

Louis lost himself when he was performing. The words were compositions of what he had been through. What had led him to being the person he was today. The twenty four year old pouring every bit of his pain or happiness into the songs that he had wrote, passing them by his small group of friends before letting them be witnessed by those around him. The people that were listening to the moments he lived through and sung his heart out to now. The mess of words always something that caused a slew of memories to tip through his mind.

It was almost like he blinked when he was stepping off the stage into confines that began stirring into chaos to wipe his shit from the stage and replace it with far more expensive equipment for the star that was running things. Louis carded a hand through his hair pushing what was once a structured quiff from where it was trying to settle in his eyes towards the back of his head only to need to slide his palm against his jeans to displace the coating of sweat or water or whatever else was soaking his hair. The sigh that left his lips wasn't audible over the noise that filled his ears. Shouts of what needed to go where, the screams of fans waiting for Harry to step out onto the stage and demand the attention of the crowd that was all too ready to give it to him. Louis only had a slice of that. 

But a slice was really all he needed.

He had a habit of lingering on the off skirts of the stage when he was done with his own set. Well, maybe not a habit exactly. It was only the third night of the tour but after leaning against a beam with just a good enough angle to watch the main act which likely couldn't be considered a habit yet. But he enjoyed it. His heart slowed to a crawl as he watched the stage transform while he came down from the high of his own performance. 

Louis was almost shook from his shoes as a voice sounded to his left. "Did good tonight." A tilt of his head looking just a few inches up at the man next to him had Louis tilting his lips up in a quiet smirk.

"Yea, I reckon it went alright," he chuckled as he nodded. "At least tonight I didn't trip over a stray water bottle and eat the stage like I did two nights ago." A disaster of a situation but Louis had witnessed Harry taking a tumble of his own in past shows that he had watched on the small screen of his phone when he was trying to get familiar with the man he was going to be touring with for a few months. "I doubt my pride could have handled it twice." His smirk widened as he caught the small grin settled over Harry's lips. The tell tale sign that he was amused by Louis' self-deprecating humor. 

"Right. Just alright." There was an raise of the eyebrow on the other man that had Louis tilting his head but keeping quiet. "There's someone in the blue room that wants to speak to you, by the way." Harry didn't wait for a response before stepping away, closer to the edge of the curtain, waiting for his cue with a glance tossed back towards Louis that had his heart stutter in his chest for just a second. 

Louis was positive that the small hesitation of his heart willing itself into beating was the static of confusion as why someone needed to pry him away from the stage. His mind shifting from the exhilarated high he was coasting on to worrying if he had possibly broken some clause or rule that had been in the contract that spelled out specifics that he was supposed to follow during his time on the road with Styles. One that he possibly, maybe, definitely did not read further than a brief skim through. 

Swallowing the wayward thoughts, Louis turned and made his way to the room down the hall of closed doors. The corridor almost deserted with everyone busy somewhere else. Louis picked up the sound of the first song starting. The bass of trickled towards him as he read the signs on the doors. Dressing rooms, utility closets, rooms with odd names that Louis couldn't figure out what they were even designated for. But he came to the blue room mentioned before long enough. His feet coming to a stop as he continued to ponder what his fate was on the other side.

He didn't let himself stall long, though. Fingers rounding over the knob and pushing it open with his face hopefully composed. Louis stepped into the room, silently noting that there was no reason at all the room would be called the blue room with the various shades of blue covering almost every inch of the space before the the snarky contemplation vanished as his eyes settled on the man sat at the couch. A magazine raised in front of the man's face not stopping Louis from knowing just who had summoned him. The rock settled on his chest and stilled his motions as he pushed his fingers into his jeans, clearing his throat as the door clicked shut behind him. 

"Louis! Glad you made it." Louis didn't know he had a choice but he nodded a small affirmation as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Waited patiently as Jeff Azoff took his time finishing whatever he was gazing at before he plopped the magazine on the table in front of him, arms slung over the cushions to either side of him. "I've gotta say, I knew you would be a hit but I wasn't expecting as much intrigue as you've been gaining. Why does your face look like that?"

A slight shake of the head had Louis registering what was being said. "Like what? Just a bit knackered, man. It was a good show." He waved the man off before finding a place in the armchair across from Harry's manager, an uncertain smile pressed on his lips. "Thanks, though. Means a lot to hear you say that." Though, Louis wasn't really sure what the man was getting at aside from Louis having been good on stage which he had hoped to maintain seeing as how he was opening for Harry Styles for the duration of his tour.

The man hummed an amused noise as he stood from his seat. Louis watched as he pulled a pack of smokes from his jacket and quickly claimed one when it was offered, lighting up if only to have something to do with his hands. Make himself feel busy when he felt on edge. A conversation with a manager- the main manager of this tour - wasn't something he really had planned.

"Now, I normally would be doing this in a more formal setting but honestly, I couldn't wait. I like you, Lou. Your sound. Your vibe. You've got potential." Smoke curled slowly from Louis' lips, eyes only slightly widened at what was being said to him. There was a small urge to slap a hand across his own face if this was what he thought but he couldn't actually do that and look like a sane person, so he inhaled another lungful of nicotine and waited for Azoff to continue on.

Louis only let his mouth drop open a hair when the man brought up a contract. A deal with his management company. To sign Louis and give him the opportunity to make music that could be heard on a real level. Reach beyond the small gigs he normally played and maybe even reach heights of the arena he had played in on a grander scheme. But Louis might now be able to completely keep everything the man was saying straight in his head.

His found his way back to the stage not long after. Louis let himself sag against the beam that he had previously occupied as he gazed at the end of the set happening in front of him. How that conversation had started and ended in what he considered a short span of time was lost to Louis. The papers in his hand that held brief bullet points of what Azoff wanted him to read over before meeting in the following days almost forgotten as he licked the taste of cigarettes from his mouth, the smile unable to wipe itself from his face as he listened to the ear shattering screams that were begging the lights to come back on as the stage plunged into darkness ending the set, the shadow of Harry only paused in front of him in the flickering flashes of light that lit up those emerald green eyes for short seconds. 

"As I suspected," Harry's voice was raspy as he looked down at the papers clutched in Louis' hand. "Make sure you read them over twice." There was a hint of a warning in his voice but a dimpled smile on the man's face. Louis didn't know what to make of it. "I'm proud of you. But seriously....read those." And Louis wondered if Harry knew that he had a habit of glancing over things and not actually looking at them for hidden meanings when he should look just a touch deeper. 

Louis opened his mouth to respond, to murmur a thank you or promise he would but the thoughts didn't have a chance to be uttered before Harry was herded away from his side by people who needed him in a different area in that moment with no time to spare.


	2. Chapter 2

Early.

Bleary eyes struggled to open. A hand smacked against closed lids, the voice speaking to him far too alive for Louis’ liking. "Wake up, sunshine." There was only a grumbled response from Louis as he twisted his face into the warmth of the body next to him. The soft fleece of a sweatshirt that rubbed against his cheek was slightly damp but far too easy to ignore as the drag of sleep began to pull him back under but he could feel the pent up energy in the body next to him ready to move and break free from the way Louis had turned him into a pillow for however many hours.

Louis tried to rub the exhaustion from his face as he burrowed deeper into the blanket that was draped over him, eyes squeezed shut to block out the sun that was cresting through the fogged glass only a foot or so from his face. There was no use in it. He knew that. The squeal of the brakes pierced his ears just before his body jostled forward on the seat just a bit was enough to tell him that his brief affair with dreamland was over. The engine shut off and the grumble of the driver having him pushing himself up from his position on the seat.

It wasn't that Louis was comfortable where he was. Breaking out of the van and trudging into wherever it was they had secured for the night before the show had been high on Louis' priority list since he had settled into the seat, tucked between his longtime friend and the hard glass of the window. "You smell like shit, Nialler." Louis' voice was thick with sleep as his shoes hit the ground and turned to grab the bag that was burrowed under the fallen blanket before he slung it over his shoulders with a smirk.

"You weren't complaining two minutes ago." The response was light and quippy from the blonde and made Lou roll his eyes. "In fact, if the spot on my shoulder proves anything, you enjoyed cuddling up to me for hours and thought I smelt fantastic!" It sounded like he had swallowed a bottle of Adderall followed by a vat of coffee and Louis hated him for it. After a night of beers at the pub close to the arena and toasts to the contract that had been tossed his way and in respect, Niall's too since he was Louis' guitarist, Louis had found his way into the van to head to the next show. And try as he did, there was no way he was able to concentrate on the blocks of text that Azoff wanted to read before their next meeting.

He'd give it a go when he had more time to wake up. Force himself to read through each line of the list of talking points he had been handed. Maybe after a shower and something to eat beside the granola bar he had hidden away in his bag safely out of reach of his friend. The look in the headliner's eye and the small warning in his tone had Louis on the cusp of actually paying attention this time around. But Louis didn't see why it was so important. Not when he was being handed everything on a silver platter. All he wanted was the chance to set his music free into the world. Into the ears of people who would invest themselves in his words and find some type of solitude in the same way Louis found his own solitude throughout his life with earbuds practically glued on his eardrums.

"Oh, shove off." Louis grumbled as he flipped Niall off as he shouldered open the door to the home they had parked in front of. It was rude but Louis never said he was anything but. They were expected and told they were welcome so what was the point in knocking? Louis didn't see it as a necessity no matter that it seemed to be a home that actually belonged to someone instead of the small motels that they had been tucked themselves into the first few nights of the tour. Anything was better than sleeping in a van.

Unceremoniously, the bag was dropped and kicked into the corner of the entryway. Louis ran a hand through his hair before tugging the hood of his sweatshirt up, wandering deeper into the quiet house, eyes sweeping over the quaint furniture that littered the space. The place was homey, he could admit that much. It was enough for his shoulders to droop in contentment. He wasn't going to be here for longer than a few hours tops on either end of the show and even if they haven't been on the road longer than a week, the thought of sleeping in an actual bed that wasn't bombarded by a different body every night was nice.

There was the distant sound of voices off within the house and Louis disregarded it for the moment. It was Niall making himself comfortable and probably the driver that got stuck with them through the night. Louis couldn't remember his name at that second but he couldn't be blamed. The man was lacking caffeine in his system and had the worst night of sleep he's had in awhile. Why they had to drive through the night was lost to him. Instead, he wandered down the corridor in search of the toilet, eyes skimming over the pictures that lined the walls. None of the faces looked like they belonged to one family but a mix of people at various events. The fact not lost on him that this house must have belonged to someone that was on the tour with him and his small van of people might not be the only ones that ended up crashing outside of the show.

After relieving himself and splashing a gallon of cold water on his face, Louis made his way towards the sound of Niall's voice, albeit muffled with whatever he had located to shovel into his mouth. With the long ride and Louis keeping the one singular granola bar to himself at the start of the drive, he was sure that the blonde would claim starvation. A small grin settled on his face as he leaned over his friend and stole the tea steaming in front of him, taking a long step away while clutching the mug to his chest in protection before looking around the room at the other bodies that seemed to appear out of thin air in the moments that he was gone.

"Oi, it's Tomlinson, right?" Louis caught the gaze of the one speaking. Chocolate brown eyes and hair that was styled perfectly that it didn't look like he had just woken. Maybe he hadn't gone to bed yet. Louis couldn't be sure but in the end it didn't matter, right? Louis blinked slowly at him as he raised the mug to his lips and took a sip, ignoring the scalding heat on his tongue as he nodded his head just a bit.

Niall cackled from where he sat, glancing behind him. "Yea...don't try to get words from him before he's proper awake and I doubt that'll happen anytime in the next few hours today unless it's to bust your balls."

"So he's a grump for about twelve hours of the day?" Louis shifted his gaze to the new voice in the room. A familiar voice that he had heard spoken in front of him as well as far too many times when he was doing his own research. Okay, Louis would admit that he had watched a bit more footage than can be deemed necessary to get familiar with an artist. He may have just gotten lost in the videos and been far too entertained watching the curls and the deep drawl of the voice. "I can see that." Louis rolled his eyes at the words before taking another sip of the tea.

Not bothering to answer, Louis listened to the random conversation that developed as he leaned back against the counter. Drowsy thoughts of confusion rolled through his mind as he wondered if Harry was staying in the same place he was tonight. Honestly, it wasn't a long stretch. The house seemed large enough for the six of them to sleep comfortably. There were six of them now, Louis noted. At the least, there had to be enough beds or couches if they were all showing up in the same place.

-

Worrying about sleeping arrangements didn't seem to be needed.

Returning from the show, Louis was far too energized to worm his way into a bed. He had located where his bag had been moved in a small room at the end of a corridor but couldn't get himself to settle enough to get the sleep he very much needed. It was like there was static racing through his bloodstream and the thought of laying down made him anxious. Being on stage for the first time since he had spoken to Azoff made everything seem different.

Louis took his time showering the night from his skin before returning to his bed. Sweats hung low on his waist as he stepped into the dark hallway. Everyone had crashed after they arrived back at the home. Meaningless conversations cut short as everyone split off for the night to their own spaces. The call of their beds far too strong compared to the buzz that crashed through Louis' bones.

The soft glow of a television drew Louis' feet down the hallway until he was standing in the doorway of the living room. He was silent as he listened to whatever was playing, the voices of Betty White almost too hushed to make out in the dead of night. Louis watched for a moment, gaze settled on Harry who had his eyes glued to the screen. The light bouncing off his face setting strange glows to his eyes that seemed radioactive in the dark. "Please tell me you are not watching Golden Girls for kicks at three in the morning." He smirked at Harry who looked far too comfortable on the couch spooning something from a bowl into his mouth. And he only laughed for a second when the curly headed man jumped enough that a bit of food slopped over the edge of the bowl and onto his lap.

"I'd have you know these ladies know a thing or two about having a good time.” A smirk was plastered on Harry’s face as he scooted over on the couch, his fingers slowly picked away at what Louis discovered was cereal off his lap.

As he settled down next to Harry, Louis tucked his feet up underneath him. He sat in silence for a moment, watching the women on the screen with dulled amusement. His eyes flicked next to him, the sudden burst of laughter catching him off guard. An eyebrow quirked up as he took in the shit-eaten grin splayed across Harry’s lips, shoulders shaking with the laugh that continued to bounce off the walls.

The small shake of his head caught the attention of Harry. The green eyes turned to face him with a look of confusion. “You have no sense of humor, do you?” The question caused Louis to pull back a bit, hand over his heart.

“I happen to be the most hilarious man you’ll ever come across.”

“Yea...Sure” Harry grinned before facing back to the screen, the spoon discarded on the table beside him as he drank the milk straight from the bowl. “Have you never seen the show before, though?”

“Not once. I’m more of a watch tele only for sports type.” Louis shrugged, leaning his head back against the couch. The energy was still buzzing through his bones but he discovered that it was tolerable. There was no bouncing of the walls that he had been on the verge of prior to entering the room. The atoms that kept him in motion since he had walked out on the stage simmered lower as he attempted to take in the conversation going on when he heard the unbelieving huff leave Harry’s lips.

But there were no complaints from the other. No expletives of how he had been missing out his whole life and this show would change his life. Instead, Louis felt as the couch cushions moved with the shifting of Harry next to him. He didn’t have to turn his head to face the other to know that those green orbs were looking at him. Louis couldn’t determine why that was, though. He had no idea what had Harry’s attention fully focused on him instead of the show.

Louis tried not to bristle under his gaze but as the minutes ticked by and there was no movement to his side, he caved. Turning his head, Louis quirked an eyebrow and returned the stare without blinking at the strange smirk that was settled on Harry’s face. A strange staring contest laid out before him that he didn’t understand. There were no rules but Louis felt his stomach twist as he took in the sight in front of him. A nervous quiver that coated his insides ebbed from his mind.

There was no denying that Louis was confused. His head tilted to the side when the small smirk that had been on Harry’s face shifted a bit, his lips dipped downwards. It was almost frightening when Louis tried to decipher it. Seriousness etched between the subtle lines in that face. The small dip of a dimple fading with the change.

Had he done something to change the atmosphere that normally surrounded them? Louis wondered if, maybe, he was supposed to ignore the way that Harry had been studying him. To let the man with chocolate curls watch his face as he took in a show that he was seeing for the first time.

“What is it?” There was no saving the quiet way that his words left his mouth. They hung in the air, hushed and barely audible above the bickering old women. The question shoved out there with no idea what Louis was going to get in a response.

Common decency would have meant that Harry opened his mouth and replied. Most would answer a question that was curiously aimed when one obviously couldn’t stop staring. Harry didn’t even bother to look away. Those green eyes boring into Louis and making his insides quiver.

The furthest thing from Louis’ expectations was Harry pressing their lips together. Hesitancy coated the moment as Louis froze. Soft plush lips against his own that seemed to be waiting for any sort of movement. Anything to give away that Louis was any bit into the kiss.

But Louis didn’t move. Not a damn inch outside of closing his eyes and wrapping his brain around the places where their skin was touching. The warmth that pooled in his chest as he tried to understand what exactly was happening. The question swirling around in his mind to find out if he had fallen asleep sometime between taking a shower and finding his way to this couch. Because Louis couldn’t fathom how this had happened.

There hadn’t been a single moment that Harry had eluded to anything more than being a mentor since Louis had joined him on the tour. Nothing that stuck out in his head that would lead to Harry taking initiative to kiss him. And Louis didn’t think that he had sent out any signs that he had felt anything for the man. Not when he had tried to keep his slight obsession with pouring over video clips in the privacy of his and trying to keep his contact with Harry professional. That was what he was meant to do, right? While Louis may not stick to rules and order of what had been laid out for him, that wasn’t a line he thought he would cross. That he couldn’t bring himself to cross. Not when his dream had been on the line.

Cold air hitting his lips as Harry pulled away brought Louis back to reality. Back out of his mind and to the present where he had, in fact, just been kissed by Harry Styles. His fingers twitched where they rested on his lap as he peeled his eyes open and took in the startled look that filled Harry’s eyes as he slid away on the couch. The lack of response sending all the wrong signals that Louis hadn’t intended to send out.

So he moved, not wanting Harry to move further than he had already. Fingers curled around the loose shirt and pulled Harry back towards him, back down onto the couch that he had been in the process of fleeing. Louis crashed his lips back against Harry’s. Molded himself against the other, his legs unfurled as he leaned forward, practically crawling into Harry’s lap with the want and the need that let itself be known.

It was a thing that Louis wouldn’t let himself even consider. Any sort of relations with anyone on the tour, Harry at the top of the list. But that didn’t matter now. That was the furthest thing from his mind as goosebumps broke out over his skin when hands found their way to his waist. Warm fingertips pressed into his hip bones seared his skin as his breath was lost in Harry’s mouth. The need for oxygen was well outweighed, though. Louis exchanged it for the way he seemed to come alive with his torso pressed against Harry. The way Harry’s tongue slid cautiously over his lip before coaxing it’s way inside. The soft, quiet noise that Louis barely heard get caught in Harry’s throat.

Louis let himself consume the moment. He kept a hand curled into the shirt as his other crept up Harry’s spine. Louis skated his fingers along the vertebrae, taking his time as he fell deeper into the kiss. His tongue explored Harry’s mouth, learning the way he folded into the touch as Louis found the hairs at the bottom of his scalp.

The kiss was everything. Glorious and mind melting. More than Louis could have asked for from someone he had only known such a short time.

It was everything until Harry pulled away. The pathetic sound that escaped Louis wasn’t something he would admit to. Never would he claim that he chased those lips as they pulled away from him so suddenly. The small chuckle that left Harry only making Louis feel a tad inadequate as he wondered if something was lacking. Something that Louis could have done to prolong the way his veins turned to fire.

“Lou…” Harry hadn’t gone far, breaths coming out in gentle puffs against Louis’ face to contrast the heavy way Louis seemed to struggle to replace the air he had lost. The pause between his name slipping from Harry’s lips seemed to last a lifetime. “You’re going to be bad news for me, aren’t you?”

A surprised laugh broke out of Louis. “And how’s that?” Nothing this man said ever made sense. Louis had a feeling he was going to have to come to terms with that. Or maybe not. Louis had a habit of getting ahead of himself and thinking that this situation was more than what it was, well, it was a prime example.

“How’s that, he asks.” Harry leaned back against the cushions with a smile on his face. A blissful smile that made Louis feel warm. He let himself return the grin as he leaned sideways, his body half pressed against the other with his hands still fiddling with the curls he embedded them into. “Maybe it’s the way you operate. Don’t think I haven’t realized that reckless side of you. The side of you that likely hasn’t even looked at the wonderful little agreement you were handed.”

A low groan rumbled in Louis’ chest at the words, amazed that Harry would flip what they were just doing into that which he had casually avoided. “I’ve glanced at them.” Louis rested his head against Harry’s shoulder, his eyes going back to the television to keep himself from having to look into the intense eyes that clearly had seen too much.

Louis shivered as Harry’s hand rubbed gently against his ribs. His body moved into the ghost like touch as he listened to both of them breathing. He knew that glancing at the paperwork wasn’t enough for Harry. The man had made it known how important he felt scanning through paperwork was. Paperwork that made no difference to the musician against him.

“I just…” The voice that spoke was distant. Like Harry was caught somewhere in memory that Louis couldn’t examine. “I don’t want you to get fucked over and when I signed, I made a few mistakes of my own. They hide things between the lines of those things. They hope that you won’t look further than getting all your dreams filled by signing on the dotted line.”

The only response Louis made was to reach up and place his fingers over Harry’s lips with a soft shush. He could feel Harry’s need to be heard like there was a sword dangling over his head that Louis was unable to see. “Not tonight, okay?” If there was a sword, Louis would deal with it when necessary. He could see how well Harry was doing. Speaking about how something so terrible could be lurking in the depths didn’t make sense.

And Louis knew that nothing could be worse than letting this chance slide by and returning to the dreary life he had before. Having to hustle through shit jobs that paid barely enough to get by and supporting his sisters had Louis exhausted.

“Don’t run out of time, Lou.” Harry’s voice was muffled against his hair but as the moments ticked by, there was nothing else. Nothing else except the heavy silence that had Louis’ stomach in knots.


End file.
